Fabregas: Arsenal have 'moved on' since I was at the club

Former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas says he feels his former employers have ‘moved on’ from when he represented them.

The Barcelona star has been consistently linked with a return to Arsenal every time there is a story connecting Fabregas with a move away from the Nou Camp.

Should the midfielder ever leave Barcelona, Arsenal have first option on re-signing them but the player has played down a potential return to North London during an interview with BBC’s Football Focus.

“Wenger knows everything about me – I owe him everything – Arsenal fans have been amazing to me and that’s why I don’t want to talk too much because I think they have moved on and they are doing very well and I am very happy for them, let’s see what the future brings,” said the 26-year-old.

Fabregas has always maintained it was a dream to one day go back to Barcelona after leaving the club at a very early age, with his challenge to replace the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the middle of Barcelona’s team.

Any move away from the club would depend on him being surplus to requirements and the stats this season show that simply isn’t the case under Gerardo Martino.

He’s made 34 appearances across La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey this season scoring 13 goals and providing 18 assists; the sort of figures Barca expect and need from him.

“This is the season where I’m feeling more myself, more freedom – it’s not easy when you have to convince many fans of how good you are – when I was at Arsenal I was a big piece of the puzzle – I don’t want to talk so much (about leaving Arsenal) because I know some people felt bad when I left, they didn’t understand my reasons,” he added.

A return still isn’t impossible but it certainly doesn’t look like it’s going to happen inside his current deal, which expires in 2016. An extension would take Fabregas into his 30s which would then mean if he returns, he’ll be at the end of his career by which point Arsenal would have most certainly moved on.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.